For Mother’s Day I knew I wanted to make a lemon cake because one my mom’s favorite flavors is lemon. I’ve made lemon cake in the past, but was underwhelmed with the result, so I decided to try a new recipe. I don’t really like trying new recipes when I’m serving the cake without tasting it first, but this one had so many great reviews that I just went with it. It was fantastic!

Like all good pound cakes, the result is a moist, dense cake that bakes up perfectly. The amount of lemon is just right and the cake comes together in a snap. Most of the time is oven time, not preparation time. The drizzled icing is a blend of sour cream, butter, lemon and sugar – yum, right?! It’s easy to mix up and you just pour it over the cake. It literally took me one minute to ice! I served the cake with fresh berries and whipped cream. It was well received by my mom and the rest of us

Lemon Lover’s Pound Cake
Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
5 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs grated lemon peel
1 tsp lemon extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sour cream

For the icing:
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel, optional (I left it out)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a standard sized bundt pan.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Blend in lemon juice, peel and extract. Add the dry ingredients and sour cream, alternating the additions until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour mix into prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter with a spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.

For the icing, mix together all ingredients until smooth. Pour over the cake as desired. Store cake in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Recipe from AllRecipes

So, apparently I needed a one month vacation from blogging…

Lately in the Constable household, we haven’t been trying a lot of new things. One reason is because my in-laws were in town for two weeks, another reason is because I am going through a job change, but most of all it’s because I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired and lazy with cooking and taking pictures. I know if happens to all of us food bloggers at some point. Last week, however, we tried three new dishes and they were all great, so I hope my inspiration is back!

This unassuming dish was the star of our weekly dinner menu for many reasons. First, and most importantly, it tasted great! Secondly, it was easy to make and I didn’t have to use every pan and dish in the house – it’s a one pot meal. Lastly, the leftovers were just as good as the night we had it for dinner. Are you interested yet? You should probably add this to your menu now

Red Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp canola oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken, butterflied (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs total)
2 1/2 Tbsp  chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, large diced
1 cup long-grain white rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup salsa for serving (optional)

Heat oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot (one with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with salt and 1 tbsp chili powder. Cook the chicken in the hot oil until browned on each side, about 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken and set on a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onion and rice to the pot. Cook while stirring until the rice turns from translucent and the onions have softened. Add the garlic and the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder. Cook one minute, until fragrant, and then add the broth. Season with salt to taste. Stir well to combine. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.  Add them to the pot along with the beans.  Stir well.  Re-cover and cook 12 minutes longer.

 
Stir in the green onions and test a kernel of rice for doneness. It should have no more than a hint of chalkiness. Remove the pot from heat and let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes. If the rice is not done when you test it, let it cook on the heat for an additional 5 minutes.
After letting it stand for 5-10 minutes, fluff the mixture with a fork and serve with salsa (optional).

Recipe from Smells Like Home

I’ve tried many homemade macaroni and cheese recipes, but nothing compares to this one. I love roasted garlic, so it’s no surprise that this one was a winner for me. I’ve made it twice now; the first time completely true to the original recipe, and the second time a bit more inexpensively by subbing out the boursin for garlic herb cream cheese (see below). It tasted surprisingly similar, if not the same. If your grocery prices are like ours, I was able to save about $5 on the dish by making this one substitution.

The recipe calls for white cheddar cheese, but you could sub it out for an extra-sharp yellow cheddar if you want. I bought New Zealand grass-fed white cheddar at Trader Joe’s and it was awesome – very sharp and it melted with a creamy texture. Trader Joe’s has a wide selection of cheeses with reasonable prices, so check out their stock if you haven’t already. No, this isn’t a paid endorsement, I just really love them.

As with most pasta dishes, this dish reheats great the next day. I like my macaroni and cheese creamy, so I add plenty of extra milk when heating up the day after.

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese (4-6 servings)
Ingredients:

1 head of garlic
Olive oil, for roasting
12 oz dried elbow macaroni pasta
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
3 ½ cups of milk
8 oz white cheddar
4 oz garlic herb cream cheese*, softened
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove excess paper skin from garlic head and chop off the tip so the garlic cloves are exposed. Place garlic on a square of foil and brush entire head with olive oil. Loosely wrap up the foil in a pouch and roast garlic for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool before handling. Once cool, squeeze out cloves into a small bowl and smash with a fork to make a paste. Set aside.

Decrease oven temperature to 350F. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain in pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour and roasted garlic paste. Cook over medium hear until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened.

Turn off the heat and whisk in cheddar and cream cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the sauce to the pot of drained noodles and stir thoroughly to coat. The mixture will be VERY runny. Place in a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese browned and bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

*For the garlic herb cream cheese, mix together 4 oz of onion and chive cream cheese, 2 Tbs of herbs (I used more chives) and 2 cloves of garlic.

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

So, you may or may not have noticed that I already have a recipe for Guinness, Jameson & Baileys cupcakes on the blog. This year I decided to change it up a bit and make a new, modified version of this crowd favorite. I would say it was definitely a success!

I kept the cake the same – it’s a moist chocolate stout cake that bakes up nicely, so I didn’t feel like it needed any changes. The original filling is a dense, rich, chocolate-whiskey ganache. Although it’s wonderful, I wanted something a little less heavy, so I lightened it up with a whipped version of chocolate-whiskey ganache. The original frosting was a super sweet Baileys buttercream. It was wonderful, but I wanted to try to make a Baileys version of my favorite Swiss Meringue buttercream. It turned out perfectly and I was extremely happy with the results! Although this version probably has the same amount of calories, it is a lot lighter and less rich than it’s original counterpart.

In my original recipe, I topped each cupcake with milk chocolate shavings. I wanted to change it up a bit this year so I used candy melts and a piping bag (with tip #3) to make small shamrocks. They are cute and actually taste good.

Guinness, Jameson and Baileys Cupcakes (makes 24-30)
Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin wells with cupcake papers. In a medium saucepan, bring Guinness and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in a separate large bowl until smooth and combined. Add cooled chocolate and Guinness mixture to the sour cream and eggs and beat until just combined. Slowly add dry ingredients and beat briefly on a slow speed, scraping down sides as needed. Fill each cupcake paper between 2/3 and 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 17-18 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely before filling.

For the whipped ganache:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
2-3 Tbs Jameson whiskey

Place chocolate in a medium heat-resistant bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream until bubbling. Carefully pour it over chocolate and let sit untouched for 20 seconds. After that, stir until smooth and combined. Add whiskey. Let cool in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, or until thick but still pourable. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Place ganache into a large piping fit with a large, round tip. Cone out each cupcake (with the bottom of a piping tip or a small paring knife) and fill each cupcake with ganache.

For the frosting:
4 egg white, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks of butter, softened
6 Tablespoons of Baileys

Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set bowl over a small pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves. You know it’s ready with the you cannot feel the sugar when you rub a small amount of mixture between your fingers.

Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. The bowl should be cool to the touch before you move on.

Switch over to the paddle attachment and set the mixer to medium speed. Add the butter 2 Tbs at a time, letting it incorporate before adding another piece. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting comes together. This will take a while, so don’t worry if it looks soupy or curdled at any point. I find that it helps (if it’s not cooperating) to briefly chill in the fridge for 15 minutes and then remixing. Beat in Baileys until smooth and creamy.

Pipe cupcakes as desired. Enjoy!!

Beef stew is a classic comfort food that so many of us grew up eating regularly, including me! This is am Irish inspired take on classic beef stew, with the addition of several root vegetables, Guinness (duh), caraway seeds and raisins. It sounds a bit weird but it was so flavorful and delicious. It’s easy to prep, and your crockpot does the majority of the work for you. Sounds good, right?

The root vegetables in the stew are carrots, parsnips and turnips. I’ve obviously had carrots before, but parsnips and turnips were new territory for me. I cut them up as stated in the recipe and threw them in the pot. In true beef stew fashion, everything ended up tasting like the broth (which in my mind, is a good thing) so I’m still not really sure what parsnips and turnips taste like!

The original recipe was from cooking light, so not surprisingly potatoes were not included (booooo). I don’t think beef stew is beef stew without potatoes, so I ended up cutting down the meat by 1/2 (it was still more than enough) and adding 4 cups of diced red potatoes. I’m glad I did! The potatoes absorb the liquid and become amazingly good. Add this one to your St. Patty’s Day line-up!

Guinness Beef Stew (makes 6-8 servings)
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (I bought pre-cut stew meat)
1 tsp salt
5 cups chopped onion (about 3 onions)
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 cups beef broth (low sodium if possible)
3/4 cup Guinness
1 Tbs raisins
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal sliced parsnips
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled turnips
4 cups (1 inch) cubed red potatoes
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Pat beef dry and toss in flour. Add meat to the pan, sprinkle with salt and sear on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove beef from the pan and place in a crockpot. Without cleaning the pan, add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in tomato sauce. Add onions to the crockpot.

To the crockpot, add beef broth, Guinness, raisins, caraway seeds and black pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours, adding root vegetables after 6 hours.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parsley.

Recipe from Cooking Light

I’ve heard “Irish soda bread” many times before, but didn’t actually try making it until last week. I wasn’t really sure what it was and when you are supposed to eat it. The Internet answered the first question – it’s basically a non-yeasted bread, whose raising agent is baking soda. Makes sense, but I still couldn’t find when I was supposed to eat it! I decided to pair it with Guinness stew (delicious, delicious recipe, coming up next!). I’m not sure that was the best choice, seeing as I settled on a raisin-caraway version of soda bread. Apparently this version is called spotted dog. Well, it ended up being an odd combination or sweet and rye, so it didn’t really go with the stew. We tried it for breakfast the next day, and that didn’t seem right either. Rye bread in the morning is a bit strange. So, you may be asking yourself, “Why is she posting this recipe if it doesn’t go with anything”. Well, I have an answer for you! I think if you did caraway version OR a raisin/sugar version, you would have wonderful results. The caraway version would be meant for your stews, soups, etc and the raisin version could be eaten as a sweet bread with butter and jam.

So, from the recipe, include either the caraway seeds OR the raisins and sugar. By all means, if you want to try to original recipe, you can include both of them, but don’t say I didn’t warm you that it’s an interesting flavor!

Irish Soda Bread (makes 1 enormous 9-inch round loaf)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar {for sweet raisin version only}
4 cups flour, plus additional for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup raisins {for sweet raisin version only}
1 Tbs caraway seeds {for caraway (rye) version only}
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch round cast iron skillet or cake pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar (if using), baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins (if using) and caraway seeds (if using). Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and sugar cream. Using a wooden spoon, mix in dry ingredients until just moistened. Knead dough in bowl until dry ingredients are just combined, about 10-12 strokes. The mixture will be sticky. Place dough in your prepared pan and pat down so it’s even. Using a sharp knife, score a cross in the bread, about 3/4 inch deep. Dust with flour.

Bake bread for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from AllRecipes

So, this isn’t exactly an Irish-inspired recipe, but it IS green, so I’m lumping it in with my St. Patrick’s Day dishes! Any excuse to make a new flavors of macarons. After my initial batch, I’ve found them to be pretty easy to make. They aren’t quite as temperamental as I once thought. They do take a little bit more patience than a regular cookie, but you definitely get the hang of it.

Pistachio is my favorite kind of nut, so I’m a little surprised I didn’t try these sooner. The shell is a mixture of pistachio meal and almond meal, but the pistachio flavor definitely shines through. I decided to fill them with white chocolate whipped ganache, because I wanted it to taste mostly like pistachio. I think a pistachio buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream would work nicely too.

One note, I was able to find pistachio “nut meats” (de-shelled & removed of the papery skin) at Trader Joe’s for a good price. To save your hands from opening too many pistachios, I would suggest trying to find them already de-shelled! If you can’t, make sure to shell them AND remove the papery skins. There are several tutorials online on how to do this easily. I think one of them has to do with boiling the nuts for a short time…not entirely sure!

Pistachio Macarons (makes approximately 24-30 cookies, depending on the size)
Ingredients:

225g powdered sugar
60g almonds (I use blanched, slivered almonds)
65g pistachios (de-shelled and removed of papery skins)
100 grams egg whites (about 3)
25g granulated sugar, with 3 drops of green food coloring mixed in thoroughly and dried for at least 10 minutes

Start by putting the almonds and pistachios in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until very finely chopped. Add in the powdered sugar and give it a few pulses to combine. Set aside.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use an electric mixer), beat egg whites to a foam. It should resemble bubble bath at this point. With the mixer still running, slowly add the green tinted granulated sugar and continue beating just until smooth and stiff peaks have formed. Check it often so you don’t over mix. You want to stop right at the beginning of the stiff peak stage.

Add the almond mixture to egg whites and carefully incorporate with a spatula. You want the mixture to be thick enough to pipe, but thin enough that it won’t form peaks when piped. I suggest testing the batter by spooning out a small amount on a plate and checking that the batter “melts” into itself. If it doesn’t, give it a few more strokes and try it again.

Place macaron batter into a piping bag fit with a large, round tip and pipe small circles (about 1 inch to 1 ½ inches in diameter) onto your prepared baking sheets. Let macarons rest for at least 45 minutes to an hour, or until a hard shell has developed on the top. You can test this by carefully brushing your finger over a macaron. If it feels dry, you’re ready to go. If not, give it another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 300F.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, one baking sheet at a time. Let cool completely before filling.

White Chocolate Whipped Ganache
Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 oz chopped white chocolate (chips work fine here)

In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the white chocolate and let sit for 20 seconds. Stir to combine until smooth. Place ganache in the refrigerator until thickened, but still semi-pourable. Make sure to stir a few times during the process so the ganache is a uniform consistency throughout. Using an electric mixer, whip ganache until it is a thick, but pipeable consistency. Place ganache into a piping bag and pipe a small circle onto one macaron shell. Top it with a similar sized shell and squeeze together carefully.

Keep macarons in the refrigerator. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Beer and cheese. What’s not to like? I bookmarked this recipe a few weeks ago and had been eager to try it. I’m always up for a good dip, especially when cheese is involved. This recipe is easy to throw together and it’s one you can make ahead of time. It actually gets better with time, so you can (and I would suggest) make it the day before.

The Guinness flavor is there, but it’s not overpowering. I think it was a nice balance to the cheese, garlic and onions. I tried it with multigrain crackers, but I think it would be better with something plain, like pita chips or pretzels. Enjoy!

Guinness and Cheddar Dip
Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups of extra sharp cheddar, finely grated
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbs half and half or heavy cream
1/4 cup of Guinness Stout
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

Place cream cheese, cheddar and half and half in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and combined. With the motor running (if possible), stream in the Guinness. Add in green onions and garlic and process until smooth.

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight if possible.

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot

Are you guys ready for some St. Patrick’s Day recipes? I have several I will be sharing with you over the next two weeks. First up, we have these quick and easy Bailey’s and white chocolate cookies. Most people have Baileys around the house during the month of March, so I wanted to find a basic cookie recipe with a Baileys twist.

When I was mixing up the batter, it smelled very Baileys-esque, but the flavor mostly disappeared in the oven. The baked cookie still tastes of Baileys, but it’s very subtle. As with most cookies, they are best fresh out of the oven, but they will last a few days tightly sealed.

Bailey’s & White Chocolate Cookies (makes 2-3 dozen cookies)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup Baileys liqueur
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside

In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in egg and beat until smooth and pale. Mix in vanilla and Baileys and continue to beat until the wet ingredients are well combined. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in white chocolate chips.

Drop 1 inch round spoonfuls of batter on the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until mostly set and lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing.

Recipe from The Nerd’s Wife

Do you ever have a meal/dish idea in your head before you find a recipe for it? That was the case with this bread. I knew I wanted an apple-cinnamon quick bread on Sunday morning, so I took a few minutes on Saturday night to look for a recipe. I found several, but most were immediately disqualified if I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. I wanted a moist, banana-bread like outcome, and that’s exactly what I got with this recipe.

The original recipe I found is a buttermilk cinnamon quick bread, but I added a finely chopped granny smith apple to get the flavor I was looking for. (I think the bread it flavorful to stand on it’s own without the apples, so you could try it that way if you don’t have apples on hand.) As a bonus, there is a buttery, sugar and cinnamon mixture swirled through the bread. You could kick the recipe up an extra notch with a streusel or crumble topping. Yumm….

On a side note, I think quick breads should be renamed to avoid confusion. It’s not really bread, is it? Perhaps we should call it a muffin loaf? Or muffin bread? The word muffin definitely needs to be in there, because that’s essentially what it is!

Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread (makes one 9×5 inch loaf)
Ingredients:

For the bread:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

For the swirl:
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

For the bread, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixture, beat oil and sugar together in a large bowl. Add eggs and beat until smooth and pale. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. With a spatula, fold in apples.

Pour half the batter in the prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the swirl ingredients until combined. Spoon half of the mixture in 5 or 6 circles on top of the batter. With a knife, swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and repeat the swirl with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mix.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Recipe from AllRecipes